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February is National Cat Health Month and the experts at The Barkery are here to talk about an important topic in this category – feeding! As an obligate carnivore, your cat was born to hunt. Research exploring the connection between hunting and eating habits is changing the way we feed our kitties – ultimately leading to positive outcomes in health and behavior.

In their natural habitat, cats spend over 75% of their waking hours hunting for food. Experts say our kitties need to hunt, catch, and play with at least 5 small meals a day! Some proven benefits of hunting for food include:

Prevention of bad behavior. When cats are not able to act on their natural hunting instinct, they redirect that behavior into aggression and disobedience. Practicing their natural hunting instinct improves your cats overall mood and may even preserve your furniture!

Stops the scarf and barf. The cat’s stomach is the size of a ping-pong ball, which also happens to be the size of a mouse. Hunting various small portions of food instead of your cat overeating out of their bowl leads to less scarf and barf!

Prevents boredom. When you leave your home, your cat most likely naps, eats and naps again. With the hunting feeder, you will find your cat entertained, spending the day hunting and receiving much-needed exercise!

A litter box solution! Cats display stress and anxiety to their humans by peeing outside of their litter box. Hunting feeders ease and alleviate this stress, which eliminates the problem of the litter box turning into the entire floor.

Ready to switch your cat from bowl feeding to hunting? Doc & Phoebe’s Indoor Hunting Feeder is a perfect, fun and easy way to nourish your cat as nature intended! The veterinarian-designed feeder by Doc & Phoebe can help control scarf and barf, diminish anxiety and destructive behavior, and hinder litter box issues.

So how does this work exactly? The feeding system comes with five plastic feeders, each with a detachable, washable mouse “skin” that imitates the feel of real pray. Portion your cat’s food into the five different feeders and hide them around the home. At first, hide the mice in locations that are easier to discover while your kitty gets used to this new process feeding process. Gradually, start to find more challenging spots to hide the feeders to keep your cat’s interest.

Using their enhanced sense of smell, your cat will hunt to find their Doc & Pheobe Indoor Hunting Feeder! They will hunt it, grab it and toss it around until the perfect amount of food spills out. Throughout the day, your cat will repeat this process and stay physically and mentally stimulated while simultaneously eating the properly portioned meals you have prepared!

Now’s the time to make the switch from bowl feeding to hunting! Stop by either Brookside Barkery & Bath location and pick up your Doc & Pheobe’s Indoor Hunting Feeder today!